Legging



D66. 8, 1942. E JONES 2,304,177

LEGGING Filed D60. 19, 1940 Patented Dec. 8, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEGGING Edward M. Jones, Falls Church, Va. Application December 19, 1940, Serial No. 370,874

1 Claim.

This invention relates to leggings and more particularly to leggings designed to protect regu-- lar wearing apparel from rain.

With raincoats, overcoats and overshoes it is possible for men to keep themselves reasonably dry except for the lower portions of the pants which extend below the knee and below the normal bottom edge of a raincoat, which portions of the pants are fully exposed to beating rain, snow or sleet and if exposed for any length of time are apt to become saturated and very bedraggled.

The object of the present invention is to provide very simple, light and emcient devices adapted to be folded into very compact form so as to be readily carried in the pocket of a raincoat or overcoat when not in use but adapted to give efllcient protection when necessary.

A further object. of the invention is to provide a device of the character indicated with securing means adapted to support the same in substantially a single plane thus permitting the folding of the pants leg with its normal crease at this one point, the device itself being so constructed as to leave all that portion of the pants leg below the supporting plane very freely embraced by the protective device so that the pants leg is not mussed or the creases disarranged during use so that the pants leg will, upon the removal of the device, resume its normal shape.

Other objects will more particularly appear in the course of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combinations of parts hereinafter more clearly specified and claimed.

One sheet of drawings accompanies this specification in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pair of improved devices as worn.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of a pair of the improved devices as worn, one being shown partly broken away; and

Figure 3 is a plan view of the improved device partly broken away.

The improved pants protector consists of a substantially rectangular sheet of water-resistant material such as oiled silk, Cellophane or the like, preferably provided with hems on its upper and lower edges and of a length sufficient to extend from slightly below the knee of the wearer below the bottom edge of the pants, down over the top of the shoe and substantially the instep of the foot. The sheet is of a width sufficient to freely embrace the pants leg without contacting it save at its upper edge and if desired the side edges may be slightly shaped to produce a more pronounced flare.

Referring to the drawing, the body of the sheet is indicated at I, provided on its top edge with arelatively wide hem 2 and on its bottom edge with a narrow hem 3. Interlocking fasten ing devices herein illustrated as the well known zipper elements are secured to the side edges 4-4. An elastic garter element 8 is inserted and secured within the upper hem 2, this garter element being of a length to normally draw the upper edge, when the elastic is in repose, to a length less than the length of the lower edge 3.

To prevent the device from being blown up by the wind and to render same more tractable, weighting means, such as stiffening or short or flattened disks 1 may be inserted in the lower hem 3 and under extreme wind or similar conditions this effect is secured by a strap 5 secured by its ends to the inner face of the sheet at points 6-6 on opposite sides substantially spaced above the lower edge 3. This strap 5 should be of a length suflicient to pass under the arch of the foot and yet not draw the sides of the device inward to any material extent, it being important that the pants leg'be left as free as possible to avoid creasing or otherwise mussing of same.

I When not employed the arch strap will be secured within the pants protector by fastening its free end to a snap fastener 9.

Various modifications in the precise construction, type of fasteners and the like will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art but all within the scope of the present invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

Trousers protector comprising a sleeve of light waterproof material adapted to envelope a trousers leg between the knee and cuff, having an elastic hem at its upper edge constrictable against the trousers leg and constituting the sole support for said protector, the latter being flared toward the bottom to freely embrace the trouser leg without substantially contacting it, said sleeve being longitudinally divided at the back and having a slide fastener of the zipper type including continuous strips of slide fastener hooks secured to its longitudinal edges along the line of the division, a strap within the lower end of said sleeve bridging said sleeve from side to side adapted to pass beneath the shoe forwardly of the heel, the ends of said strap being attached a snap fastener element, and complementary snap fastener elements on the inside of said sleeve.

alternatively usable, one positioned to secure said strap in said bridging position, the other so located as to hold said strap longitudinally of said sleeve.

\ EDWARD M. JONES. 

